This paper presents three initiatives by Japanese local governments that bring synergies to climate change, biodiversity, and the SDGs. These examples were shared with the world by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan at the High-Level Political Forum in 2023.
Plastic pollution represents one of the most pressing environmental issues facing the planet today. This is largely due to the increasing mass production of single-use plastics (SUPs) including packaging materials and other items that are quickly outpacing the world’s ability to respond. Social, cultural and economic shift in addition to the...
This report presents findings from a project jointly implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES). The project reviewed 50 Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from 36 Asia and the Pacific countries from 2016 to 2021. In this...
This chapter reviews recent developments in microplastic-related research; identifies major sources of microplastics to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs); investigates the detection methods, concentration levels, and removal efficiency of microplastics at selected WWTPs; and presents a discussion on microplastics removal from wastewater and...
An ADB stocktake highlights that weak governance and a lack of incentives and finance are among the factors holding back the region’s progress on environmental sustainability. The authors urge decision-makers to prioritize investments that privilege the environment and to apply integrated development approaches, systems thinking, and a circular...
These slides were used for a video commentary on the main takeaways of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA75), which was held virtually for the first time in the history of the UN in 2020. There are two versions of the video commentary available (short and extended) and they provide insight into the five crises of focus...